Page 94 of The Evernight Court

I didn’t pray as I lost sight of everything around me and entered the thick darkness that surrounded the Eighth Isle. Praying was useless—I’d learned that at a very young age.Purposewas far more powerful than any prayer, and I had the strongest of all—my wife was trapped in a den of monsters all by herself, and if there was a chance for me to get to her, even by breaking this curse in the process, then I would.

I slammed onto the layer of magic with my whole body a moment later, and it suspended me on air.

Hope was a wonderful thing. I’d held onto it because it was the only way to survive these endless days trapped on this Isle, but hope only gets you so far. Hope doesn’t magically make impossible things possible, no matter how strong it is.

That’s why the magic crumpled me like a piece of paper in its fist and spit me back down to the ground like it wasirritatedby my attempt at breaking it.

I fell.

Not for a long time because I fell fast, as if gravity had a better hold on me here, and though my wings were still on my back, I couldn’t move them. They were completely paralyzed, same as my limbs.

I hit the ground on my back, smashing trees in the process, making dents in the ground as I bounced off it, until I finally stopped in front of a tree. The pain didn’t even register. It paled in comparison to that one thought—I’d failed.Even though I knew I would, even though I’d expected it, I’d failed to get out of the Eighth Isle for the fourth time, and I wouldn’t have the strength to try again.

A shout came out of me as my body tried to rid itself of the desperation, the sudden hopelessness, thehorrorof accepting that I was never going to see my Fall again. It was a bad idea to be making that much noise in the woods surrounding the tomb, but at that point I didn’t care. Maybe it was a better idea to let the mutated beasts eat me right now. It would end my suffering once and for all, and I would never have to wonder again. I would never have to feel so powerless, so fucking useless in this skin.

As if on cue, the first three beasts were already prowling nearby, heads lowered, their eyes on me. I pushed myself up to my knees, instinctively assessing my surroundings—trees, dead twisted trees, and wood, and leaves that could have been made out of plastic.

And bones.

There were bones close enough to my right that I could reach them easily if I tried. A skull and a femur and a ribcage—fucking bones that could have belonged to one of my ancestors. One of the Evernights who’d ended up in this place before me. One of the Evernights who were most probably torn apart by these beasts long before the magic of the curse killed them.

Maybe I should have accepted my fate and closed my eyes and waited because it would be quick. These beasts were hungry, on the brink of starvation, and they turned on each other constantly, and they’d make my death very fast.

Except when the three of them leaped in the air, I wasalready moving, breaking the biggest ribs off that ribcage of whoever was lying there, forgotten by the world, and I struck.

Rage.It rushed through the cold blood in my veins, whatever was left of it. Fall was out there all by herself, and I wouldn’t give up trying to get to her until I ceased to exist. Fuck giving up—there could be other ways. I just needed to be patient. I just needed to be smart.

My strength was minimal and my speed that of a normal human being, but I’d dealt with wildlings my whole life, and I wasn’t afraid of these oversized beasts. With my fangs and with those sharp ribs in my hands, I tore them apart before they had the chance to graze me. Their blood was tainted, impossible to evensmell,let alone drink. Part of the banishment deal, I figured. If vampires who came here could feed off these beasts, none of them would have ever died.

By the time I stabbed the rib on the side of one beast’s neck and stuck the other in the back of its throat when it opened its mouth to bite my face off, more had already approached. Well aware of my limitations, I jumped and climbed the nearest tree, saving strength for that leap I’d have to make to the tomb mountain. There, I’d be safe from these creatures. Nobody dared to wander near the guardian for fear they’d awaken him.

To do that meant certain death for everything that lived on this Isle.

That first day I was thrown into these woods, I’d run without aim, confused, disoriented, unwilling to accept that I’d actually been banished by Romin. I’d run and I’d managed to get to the mountain, hoping to get to the top of it to better see my surroundings, to know where I was, foolishly thinking I was still in the Whispering Woods somewhere because of the dark cloud hiding the sky here, too.

Only after I’d reached the top had I realized that none ofthe beasts had followed me, and when I’d started to explore, I’d found out why.

Now, I did the same—jumped off the top of a tree and forced my wings to beat a couple of times so I could land on top of another, and another, until I was close enough to the edge of the tomb that it was safe to continue running on foot. Some of the beasts, the smaller faster ones, risked coming closer and one almost bit my foot off, but I jumped on the rocks a second before it did, and the frustrated hiss that came from it sounded exactly like breaking glass.

Look what I’ve been reduced to,I thought as I straightened my shoulders and turned to look at the woods from atop the rocks, while the beasts, big and small, slowly retreated.Running from animals. Grey Evernight—the prey.

I would have laughed if I had any more energy to spare.

The bloody ribs of one of my ancestors were still in my hands. I held onto them, if only to give myself a sense of safety, which was another goddamn illusion, just like every time I imagined—vividly—that Fall was here, that she was coming for me, that she was smiling at me, calling my name.

I would die in those illusions if I could, but right now, I needed to lie down. Right now, I needed to make my way to the other side of the tomb where I’d built myself a small cave to rest in uninterrupted—and to hide. To be inside the mountain where Syra’s body was, wasn’t a good idea—the dragon that guarded her could awaken with the slightest noise, and if he did, I’d be dead. No question about it.

So, the other side it was.

My head buzzed. I could barely keep my eyes open—that magic blast and the way the curse had thrown me back inside the Isle had really done a number on me. My legs were shaking, which never happened, and I was pretty sure I’d be bruised and bleeding in a lot of places if I bothered to look.

It didn’t budge. The fucking magic didn’t budge, and I was still stuck in this hell with no clue what to try next.

The curse of Ennaris was made out of a hundred and one layers. The very last one bound each one of Hansil Knight’s descendants to the Whispering Woods, and should they be forced out of it by banishment, they’d perish in a matter of days because the magic would take back what it initially gave to his bloodline. It would take backthe vampirein us, if you will, and without it, we’d be only human.

Only-humanscould never live in a place like the Eighth Isle, not with all the other layers of magic cramped up in this tiny place to keep Syra under.

No wonder nobody knew that this Isle even existed. If anyone even came near it and tried to come through, they’d die. Not to mention if boats approached it, then these mutated beasts could find their way onto the other Isles, too, and wreak havoc on people who were not equipped with nearly enough magic to deal with them. No, because this curse needed avery big sourceof magic, and the sirens, who were supposed to supply the rest of Ennaris and its people with it year after year, now poured all of their power to keep this curse running.

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